1850 Madeira Blandy's Old Reserve Solera Fortificado

Description

For 200 years, Blandy’s Madeira has been synonymous with quality Madeira wine. Blandy is the only family among all the founders of the Madeira wine trade that still owns and operates its original Madeira wine business. The family has played a significant role in leading the development of Madeira wine throughout its history, and its members continue to live on the island, preserving a tradition that dates back to 1811. The Madeira Wine Company was originally an association of several Madeira wine producers who decided to join forces to strengthen their purchasing and production capacities. The association was founded in 1913. During a period of discord, the old family companies of Blandy’s and Leacock merged, followed immediately by a dispute involving Miles and Cossart Gordon, creating the largest producer and exporter of Madeira wine. Regardless of scale, maintaining the unique characteristics and style of each individual company was the focus of the association. By the late 1970s, the interests in the Madeira Wine Company—by then known as such—had been reduced to just a handful of the original families, with the Blandy family holding the controlling share. In 1989, the Blandy family, needing to strengthen the sales and marketing side of the business, invited the Symington family from Porto, Portugal, to partner with them. This partnership has continued to this day, allowing the Madeira Wine Company to play a leading role in the development of the Madeira wine trade. The bottling year may not match the image shown. (Illustrative image only)